DPHU1006 Chap.9 Editing, Continuity and the Final Cut
Editing, Continuity and the Final Cut
Editing is the Week 9 lecture and the Week 10 tutorial. Quiz 4, in the Week 12 tutorial, covers Weeks 9 to 11. Moodle links instructional videos on Adobe Premiere, from the introduction and timeline to transitions, colour correction, sound and exporting, for teams editing in that program.
In the Video Project the edit decides the attention-to-detail criterion: the film must run between 4 and 5 minutes, include a title and credits, and avoid goofs and continuity errors. Editing is also listed among the aspects of film style.
This chapter sets out the continuity rules that make separate shots read as one action, explains transitions and split sound edits, and works through cutting a rough assembly down to the time limit, with every second accounted for. The final file is uploaded by 4pm on Friday of Week 11 with the film's title and team number in its name. Editing also carries two administrative details that cost marks when forgotten.
The finished film needs a title and credits, which the rubric names among its goofs when missing, and any AI tools used in an assistive role for the film or poster must be credited, with their sources and platforms, in the final credits. The film and the poster are both uploaded by 4pm on Friday of Week 11, each file named with the film's title and the team number.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Continuity editing and the 180-degree rule
- 02
Match on action, eyeline match and shot / reverse shot
- 03
Cuts, dissolves, fades and jump cuts
- 04
J-cuts and L-cuts in dialogue scenes
- 05
Goofs, continuity errors and the final check
- 06
Cutting to the 4 to 5 minute window
Worked example · free
Fixing a crossed line in a dialogue scene
- +1Re-shoot shot 3 from the original side of the line, keeping each actor's screen direction.
- +1If a re-shoot is impossible, insert a neutral shot on the line itself, such as a wide from the end of the table, before shot 3 to reset the viewer.
Key terms
- 180-degree rule
- Keeping the camera on one side of the line between two characters so screen direction stays consistent.
- Match on action
- Cutting during a movement so it continues smoothly into the next shot.
- Jump cut
- A cut between two similar framings separated by a gap in time, which breaks continuity.
- L-cut
- A sound edit in which audio from one shot continues under the next shot's picture.
- Cutaway
- A short shot of something other than the main action, used to bridge a gap or hide a cut.
Editing, Continuity and the Final Cut FAQ
How long must the short film be?
Between four and five minutes. A film significantly under four minutes or over five minutes is named in the lower bands of the attention-to-detail and technical problem-solving criterion of the Video Project rubric.
What counts as a goof in the marking rubric?
The rubric's examples include a missing title and credits, poor acting, inappropriate costume and setting choices and problems during filming that were not solved; continuity errors are assessed alongside them.
Do I have to edit in Adobe Premiere?
Moodle provides Adobe Premiere instructional videos for teams that edit in it, introduced with the words if you are using Adobe Premiere; the course outline lists a laptop and Microsoft Office 365 as essential resources.
Where do AI tool credits go in the short film?
In the final credits. If the team used AI tools in an assistive role for the film or poster, the course asks you to reference the sources, platforms and tools there and to be ready to explain how they were used.
What is the difference between a dissolve and a fade?
A dissolve blends the end of one shot into the start of the next and often suggests time passing. A fade moves to or from a solid colour, usually black, and tends to mark the end or start of a section.
Why does the 180-degree rule matter in a dialogue scene?
Keeping the camera on one side of the line between two speakers keeps each one facing the same direction on screen. If the camera crosses the line, the speakers appear to swap sides and viewers lose track of who is looking at whom.
Assessment move
Edit a practice scene from your own phone footage before Week 10: cut it once for continuity, once with a J-cut and an L-cut, and once to an exact length. Then watch a finished short film with the sound off and count the cuts you notice; the ones you miss are the continuity edits.
Schedule the edit backwards from the deadline: a rough cut by the end of Week 10, a test screening for timing and goofs early in Week 11, and the final export uploaded the evening before Friday. Play the uploaded file through once to confirm the sound and the ending survived the export.
